Skimble's Accident
by cjfreeman
Summary: Skimbleshanks works on the railway. One day an unfortunate accident starts him wondering how on earth he's meant to get out of the mess he has managed to put himself in.
1. A bump on the head

**Hey guys! Back again with another fic. This one is about Skimbleshanks the railway cat. I had the idea as I was writing Unlikeliest of Lovers and thought 'what if Skimble made a mistake one day?'. Luckily for me Kings Cross Station is right next to St. Pancras International in London which gave me the idea for this one. I don't want to give too much away but I feel I need to explain the facts so those of you that don't know Britain very well can understand. 1) The Flying Scotsman is (or was) a train that ran from London to Edinburgh. It still runs but with modern trains and nowhere nearly as slow so for the sake of this story just imagine what I write is true. 2) There is a railway link between England and France called the Channel Tunnel and there are many services which run between London and Paris everyday.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Cats so please don't sue me.**_

**Skimble's Accident**

**A bump on the head**

Skimbleshanks awoke as the bright morning sunshine shone into his den and warmed him and his sleeping mate. Skimble was a ginger tabby tom originally from Scotland and spoke with a thick highland twang. His stirring mate went by the name of Jennyanydots, a tabby queen with an overly mothering personality. She gently blinked herself awake and looked at her mate lying next to her with a smile. The two had been mated a great many years now and had been through a wealth of experiences during their time. They had had a beautiful daughter together about a year ago and she was turning into a feisty young kitten. They had called her Electra which in reality was quite ironic due to her quiet and generally solemn demeanour. One might think Skimble's life was the model of a perfect family yet there was something that unfortunately made it not so. Skimble worked on the railway and as a result had to go away for periods of time fairly frequently. It meant he had to leave the junkyard where he lived as well as his mate and daughter in order to provide for them. It wasn't all bad, it meant a steady income of food and allowed him to bring home gifts for his family from his journeys although he did miss spending time with them. Skimble served primarily on the Flying Scotsman – a train that went from London to Edinburgh on a daily basis and then back again the next day – and he enjoyed visiting his homeland as often as the train went. He would depart early in the morning and make his way to the train station in the city before greeting the human conductor and hopping aboard the locomotive ready to start his work. He would keep the train free from mice and make sure order was kept as he wouldn't stand for hilarity and riot on his watch. Frequent travellers would begin to recognize him and would greet him as he trotted up and down the carriages. Some would bring him treats from time to time which he certainly didn't pass upon. It was right to say that he enjoyed his work despite the consequences he had to endure.

The ginger cat looked down at his mate. She smiled back at him before the glare of the intruding sun made her avert her gaze.

"Time for you to go already?" Jenny asked sleepily

"I think so, dear" replied Skimble

"Will you be back tomorrow?"

"If all goes as it should then yes"

"Can't you stay a few minutes more?" she said hopefully. The ginger tom smiled back to her,

"Okay, I suppose I have a little time." He shouldn't have succumbed to his wish to stay with his mate as his sleepy morning state sent him back into a gentle snooze.

* * *

"Skimble! Wake up!" The ginger tabby bolted upright from his nap and started looking around frantically,

"What? What's wrong?" he said looking for the problem

He saw his mate holding up a wristwatch in front of him displaying the time. It was 9:30am, his train would be leaving in half an hour. He nearly flew out of bed as he rushed to put on his waistcoat. He was assisted by his mate and kissed her quickly before running from the den.

"See you tomorrow, Jenny" he called back to her as he ran through the entrance of the junkyard and towards the city. Jenny followed him with her eyes until he turned a corner and was out of her sight. She hoped he would make it to the station on time or panic would ensue.

* * *

Skimble narrowly avoided being run over by several black cabs and being trodden on by the commuters all rushing to get to where they needed to be. The sheer volume of people slowed him down greatly as he desperately tried to dodge his way through the crowds. Up ahead he could see his destination, the entrance to Kings Cross station. He sprinted for the door and didn't see the bustling human's shoe as it made contact with his head. He went flying to the side and landed in the middle of a large array of parked bicycles. The careless human seemed to ignore him and walk on, hurrying to carry on it's way. Skimble just gazed up the sky in a daze. His mind was fuzzy and he could swear he could see little bluebirds flying around his head in a circle. It wasn't until a minute or two later that he focused on the big clock at the top of the building. The time was five minutes to ten and exactly five minutes before the train was due to leave. He knew the staff must have been getting worried at his absence and he pushed himself up in order try and make a dash for it. He was dizzy and rocked on his legs before trying to run. He weaved from side to side as he doddered over to where he thought he needed to be. Unfortunately for Skimble, his rickety state had made his mind discard reason for the time being and instead of making for the entrance to King's Cross he steered himself to the entrance of the adjacent St. Pancras International station. He flew through the gates and bolted for the train he assumed was his. He jumped aboard as the doors began to close and concealed himself in a little nook to nurse his sore head. In the back of his mind he knew something was wrong but at that moment he didn't really care. He decided to try and take a little nap to clear his consciousness as the strangely unfamiliar train began to move off. He put the feeling down to the blow he'd received and went to sleep.

* * *

Back in King's Cross, the conductor of the Flying Scotsman looked up and down the platform wondering where the ginger tabby he was waiting for had gotten to. With an anxious sigh he decided that he couldn't hold the train any longer and signalled to the station master to give the order to send the train on it's way. The contraption jolted as it began to role forward missing one very crucial part of it's team.

* * *

About an hour went by before Skimble shook his head back into a useable tool. He felt a dull ache as he rose up to start his patrol and lumbered on doing the best he could. He started at one end of the train and slowly made his way through. The interior of the carriages was nothing like he knew them to be. Had the rail company updated them? Why was he the last to know if they had? He looked around confusedly at the passengers who stared back with a similar expression. They didn't look like his regulars at all. What on earth was going on? He felt coldness encircle him as he listened to an announcement over the intercom made by a very unfamiliar voice,

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard the Eurostar. This is the non-stop service from London St. Pancras International to Paris Gare du Nord…

Skimble stopped listening after that. How on earth had he ended up on the Eurostar? He'd never been aboard this train in his life and didn't even know how the station guards could have let him on. More importantly, where on earth was that place the voice had said they were going to? He groaned as he saw telegraph poles rush by the windows of the train, it was going to be a very long day indeed.

**Okeydoke. Skimble's gotten himself into a pickle, let's hope he can fix it. This probably won't be more than a few chapters but it's a little idea I wanted bash out before I begun my next story.**

**Review if you get a moment, thanks for reading.**


	2. Philippe

**Skimble is Scottish, he has a thick Scottish accent, remember that. I don't write phonetically because it's hard to read so please try and imagine the accents.**

**After his critical error Skimble attempts to deal with the situation.**

**I don't intend on making this story very long so expect roughly two more chapters after this one. I've got another idea in the works that should be on emotional par with Unlikeliest of Lovers so look out for that after I finish this one.**

**Skimble's accident**

**Chapter 2**

**Philippe**

Hours passed and Skimble was feeling like a complete idiot. He couldn't believe he'd gotten on board a train that was quite obviously not the one he worked on. He'd stowed himself in a luggage compartment to avoid the nosy stares of the long-distance travellers. He'd been confused when they had entered a tunnel that didn't seem to have an end, it was nearly twenty-five minutes later before they emerged into the daylight once again. For almost the entire journey the ginger tabby stayed where he was waiting for it to end.

Eventually the train slowed and reached it's destination. Skimbleshanks had not been happy as he observed his new surroundings. The railway line had obviously been trespassed upon and the graffiti was rampant. Any other cat might have thought it was quite creative and strangely beautiful, but not Skimble. The tom didn't approve of things being out of line and this certainly crossed that boundary in his opinion. The train stopped and the passengers slowly cleared the carriage. He waited until he was sure they were gone before jumping onto a seat and staring out at where he was. He could see the inside of a railway station not too different from the ones he was familiar with. He looked up at the clock and realised he would have been half way to Edinburgh by now had he gotten on the right service. He looked around some more and tried to make sense of the signs but they were in a strange language that Skimble could make neither here nor there of. He decided to return to his hiding place and keep quiet until the train made it's return journey. He got down from the seat and made his way along the carriage. The tom jumped into the luggage rack and moved right to the back so as not to be seen, he remained there for a good few minutes before his next bit of bad luck that day.

A rather bored looking human entered the carriage and checked the seats for anything that was left behind. He approached the luggage rack and began feeling inside. Startled by the intrusion, Skimble swiped at the hand that prodded at him as it reached around. The human jumped back then bent down to see what had attacked it. It seemed surprised to Skimble and began using a rolled up newspaper to hit at him. Skimble wasn't about to take this kind of nonsense and faster than a speeding bullet he darted out of the luggage rack and made straight for the open door. He ran and ran avoiding stomping shoes and luggage carts until he was out of the entrance to the station and running down the street. He hadn't the faintest idea where he was but he knew anywhere had to be better than back on the train, a thought which he quickly rescinded when he realised of all places that was where he really ought to be at that moment. He skidded to a halt and looked back to the ornate building from which he'd come. He pondered what to do for a moment before being kicked out of the way by a very rude human. _'That makes twice today already'_ he thought picking himself up. He decided to try and find a more concealed spot in which to think and bolted for a nearby alley nearly losing his life on the way before realising the cars drove on opposite sides of the road. In the shaded area he plonked himself down and began to catch his breath. He needed a plan and he needed one quick. He was deep in thought when out of nowhere he saw a nasty looking Pollicle enter the alley he'd concealed himself within. He didn't want to wait and find out if the beast was friendly so he began to run again to the opposite end of the hiding place despite his protesting leg muscles. The creature saw his retreating figure and reacted like any normal Pollicle would, it gave gleeful chase hollering as loudly as it could. Skimble groaned and just kept fleeing. He darted across a street causing traffic to skid to a halt and looked around for a way to loose his pursuer. He felt by the grace of the Everlasting Cat that his need was provided as he came across a building covered with scaffolding. He jumped at the metal climbing frame and began to ascend as fast as he could whilst the Pollicle barked from below. He looked down and blew a raspberry at the stupid thing before continuing his climb to the very top. He jumped onto the roof of the building and sat on the edge taking in the sight around him. To a human, the view across the city of Paris is always charming but to Skimble, it was horrific. For a start he had lost his orientation after being chased and had no idea how to get back to the station and secondly, he was a tiny little cat in a huge, new city. How was he meant to find his way home? Would he ever see his home again? He suddenly thought of his mate and kitten and was filled with a great sadness. Would he ever see them again? He placed his head in his paws and tried to come to terms with the massive task ahead of him and it's implications. This wasn't going to be easy.

A little while later he climbed down the building once he was sure the dog had gone. He looked around and darted into the shadows. He had a plan, he would somehow find the station again and then stow away on the train he needed to get back to London. It seemed quite a mammoth undertaking but it was his only option. He was about to start walking when he noticed a pretty young queen strolling by. She noticed the tom and gave a polite bow as she spoke,

"Bonjour, Monsieur" she said before carrying on. Skimble was silent, he'd suddenly had a horrid realisation: He didn't speak French. How was he meant to communicate? _'For Everlasting's sake! As if I hadn't had enough torment today!' _he thought as he chased after the queen, perhaps she knew some English.

"Beggin' your pardon, my wee lass" he called after her. She turned around and gawked at the tom as he spoke, "I don't suppose you'd be speaking any English now would you?" Her expression didn't change as she tried to understand the tom before her, surely he was a crazy cat.

"Pardon, Monsieur?" she replied slowly

"I was just hoping you might know some English, I need to find me way somewhere and I cannae catch any luck, you see"

She just carried on staring before turning and scampering away. _'How rude'_ thought Skimble as he began to saunter along the street again. _'Come on Skimble! You're a Jellicle, you can find your way blind when you're lost in the street.' _He looked around and seriously questioned that thought.

* * *

Back in the junkyard, Jenny was going about her daily business of sitting and laying about as she noticed the Jellicles acting rather strangely. Munkustrap, a silver tabby and the protector of the tribe had arrived a moment ago and was looking at her frequently but turning away when he saw her looking back. She knew something was up but couldn't tell what it was so she tottered over to confront him.

"Good morning, Munk" she said cheerily as she caught him by surprise.

"Oh, hello Jenny" said the tabby grimly. She saw his down expression.

"What's got you so blue?" she asked putting a paw on his elbow. He took a deep breath and replied,

"I came straight from my humans house when I heard the news. On their television there was a picture of a train lying on it's side in a wreck, they said it was the Flying Scotsman, Jenny"

The queen stared at him, lost for words.

"They said no one was hurt" Munk continued, "but that's as much as I know."

Jenny didn't know how to feel. Was she upset? She couldn't tell. Was her mate okay? They'd said nobody was hurt but did that go for her Skimbleshanks as well?

"Jenny?" asked Munk, "is there anything I can do for you?"

She was silent before saying with a strangled breath, "He'll be okay." She fell to the ground from the shock.

* * *

Many hours passed and Skimble was having no luck in finding his way or anyone to talk to. His situation felt bleak, he could feel it within. He kept walking and walking until it began to grow dark. He was good and lost by now and was having trouble forming a map in his head. '_What kind of Jellicle am I?'_ he thought as he wandered almost aimlessly. He had tried to talk to many cats during the day but they all seemed to brush him off or just stare like he was speaking gibberish which of course it must have been to them, even if they did speak English how were they meant to decipher his accent? He was about to give up for the night when he heard some humans speaking in a way that he recognised. He looked around for the familiar form of speech and locked in on a group of them walking along with big bags and cameras. Tourists! Without even knowing what to use them for he ran across and started rubbing at their legs and pawing at them. Skimble thought they must have felt very honoured that he had given them some of his attention and they began to fuss over him. He responded with a loud purr which made them seem to get even fussier. He decided to put his plan into action but then he stopped, he didn't even have a plan. _'Oh, Skimble!'_ he thought to himself for being so silly. He tried to think of something, anything he could use the humans for but got distracted when he noticed them walking away,

"Please, wait!" he yelled and began to follow them. He knew they couldn't understand him but maybe he could get them to hold on. His hopes died when they got into a taxi and were quickly whisked away.

"No, please! Come back! Help me!" he called before giving up. He kicked an empty aluminium can that was lying on the street in frustration and slumped down against a wall. He looked up when a soft voice greeted his ears. It was quiet and had a strong Frenchness about it,

"Excuse me, Monsieur. Are you…um…alright?"

Skimble looked up amazed that finally someone was giving him the time of day. He saw a small tom standing before him looking a bit worried.

"Everlasting! Oh, sonny, you don't know how good it feels to hear a wee thing like you talk to me!" Skimble said happily. The French tom looked at him as if Skimble was bright pink and juggling ping-pong balls.

"I…uh…You looked a little bit crazy a moment ago, are you feeling alright?" the cat tried again with his thick accent.

"Yes, well I've been having a mad day to be sure, but I'm glad you seem to understand me." Unfortunately the tom didn't.

"My English is not so good, Monsieur. I do not know what you are saying."

"Oh" said Skimble. He thought for a moment before trying a crazy idea. He put on his best English accent and tried again, it was rocky and he knew he sounded ridiculous with his half English, half Scottish and for some reason a little bit Irish accent but it seemed to be helping,

"I'm rather lost, I'm afraid. I was wondering if you could give me directions" he said slowly and as clearly as he could

"Oh, I see!" the cat said lighting up. "Why didn't you say so before instead of that ridiculous mess that you were saying?" he laughed. Skimble felt a little embarrassed but pressed on,

"Yes. Well, I'm looking for the railway station where the train to London goes from. Do you know where that is?" he asked hopefully. The tom looked at his surroundings for a moment before looking back,

"I think so, Monsieur. Follow me" the cat said beckoning the ginger tabby.

"Thank you, young tom. By the way, my name is Skimbleshanks"

The French tom laughed at the funny name, "My name is Philippe"

**Maybe Skimble will be okay after all, we'll just have to wait and see.**

**I'd love to hear what you think, thanks for reading.**


	3. La Tour Eiffel

**Okay it finally started snowing properly in the south which means I'm at home indoors, and what better to do than to write?**

**Skimble gets help from Philippe, a French tom that took pity on him. Jenny takes measures into her own paws.**

_**Disclaimer: Please don't sue me, I do not own Cats. Well, I own cats, but not Cats. You see?**_

**Skimble's accident**

**Chapter 3**

**La Tour Eiffel**

Jennyanydots was trying to keep a stiff upper lip for her daughter Electra's sake. Under the surface, she was wracked with worry for her mate. She had confirmed for herself by returning to her human's home that the train Skimble served on had indeed derailed. The worst part of the whole ordeal was not knowing whether her mate was dead or alive. In her heart she knew he had to be okay - it was just intuition – yet her mind told her that something horrible could have happened and she may never see him again. The two clashing emotions every now and then got the better of her and she would hide away to let her feelings out, not wanting the Jellicles to think she had lost hope. After many hours she became desperate and went to find two particular cats. Their names were Coricopat and Tantomile, they were brother and sister and if it weren't for the gender difference they would have been identical. They were also blessed with mystic ability and were able to do a great many supernatural things. Jenny went to them with one purpose alone: she needed them to channel her mate and make sure he was alive and then tell her where he was. If it weren't for this one available action then she would have felt utterly powerless to help him.

She approached the den where they lived and was about to knock before a voice stopped her,

"Come in Jenny" she heard Coricopat emanate from within. She entered and found them both staring at her as she approached.

"I was wondering if-" she began

"-we would do you a favour. Yes we will" said Tantomile finishing her sentence for her. Jenny was no stranger to their reading of minds so she pressed on,

"Oh thank you. I need you to channel-"

"Skimbleshanks" they said together. Jenny was about to continue before they took the words from her mouth,

"You want us to see if he is alive and where he is. We'd be glad to."

Jenny didn't respond, she just let them get on with their searching the ether. After a few minutes they came back to reality and spoke in unison with barely any expression,

"He's alive"

Jenny nearly hit the ceiling with relief, "I knew it!" she cried, "Where is he?" she asked eagerly

"A long way from here" they began, "across the sea"

"What?" asked Jenny wondering what on earth they were talking about.

"Your mate is across the sea in a far away city. A city with a giant metal spike pointing straight up into the air which sits on the banks of a river"

"Where are you talking about?" asked Jenny furrowing her brow

"Paris" the mystics concluded

Jenny was simply lost for words

* * *

Skimble walked along, happily being led by the friendly Parisian tom. He was glad someone was actually giving him the time of day after so much rejection and felt silly that it was his accent that was stopping him from being coherent to the locals. The two toms talked as they went,

"So what made you come to Paris, Monsieur?" the French cat asked

"A late wake up and a kick to the head" replied Skimble

"I…uh…"

Skimble laughed and related his tale of woe to the friendly cat. He told him about his life and where he was from and why it was important for him to get home. He rounded off by telling him how didn't feel much like a Jellicle at that moment in time.

"Jellicle?" the tom asked beaming

"Yes" said Skimble cautiously, "you've heard of us?"

"Ah, oui, Monsieur! I am a Jellicle also" said the cat happily. The word sounded strange to Skimble in the tom's native tongue but it was still clear enough.

"I didn't know there were French Jellicles" said Skimble surprised

"Oui! You have Jellicles, we have Jellicles, there are Jellicles everywhere!"

Skimble felt comforted to know he was with a cat that understood him. They both felt they knew each other at that point and began to laugh together. Skimble listened to him as he spoke,

"Should you not have been able to find your way?" he smirked. Skimble felt sheepish,

"You'd expect me to, wouldn't you? Everything is so different here it's thrown me completely out of whack"

"Out of what?"

"Wha-, never mind. Are we close yet?"

"Not really, Monsieur. It is still quite a way away, but look where we are"

Skimble looked as they turned around a corner and marvelled at the sight before them.

* * *

Jenny was on the warpath. She knew her tom was alive and where he was so she wasn't about to just leave him to his own devices. The night was here now which was when she seemed to come to life and she stormed around the junkyard looking for Mistoffelees.

"Mistoffelees!" she shrieked looking everywhere, "I need a favour!"

The conjuring cat stirred from his nap and looked out from his pipe to where the gumbie cat was yelling. He watched her for a while before deciding to go and find out what she wanted.

"You called?" he asked sleepily. He was made entirely awake as she grabbed him.

"I need you to do something for me" she asked frantically. "Do you know how to teleport?"

Misto looked smug as he spoke, "Please…"

"Send me to Paris!" she commanded

"What? Why?"

"Skimble gone missing and that's where he is, I need to get him back"

"What about Electra?"

"Oh, no! I forgot!" said Jenny spinning around

"I could come with you if you like and bring you back as soon as you find him"

"Would you? Bless you, you lovely little thing!" she said and hugged him tightly. Misto felt suffocated as the queen squeezed him, she eventually let go for him to begin his conjuring.

"I've never sent myself or anyone as far as Paris before" he said nervously as he began to work with his hands.

"I believe in you" Jenny replied with just as much anxiety

Misto nodded and placed his paws around her, "Hold on" he warned, "and jump into the air when I say"

"Okay"

"Alright, now!" The two jumped and disappeared in a flash. They ended up high in the air, but they weren't falling. Jenny looked around, she could see a vast city beneath her. She puzzled at what she was standing on top of, it seemed to be a big metal spike the went straight up into the air.

* * *

Skimble continued to look up.

"You like it?" asked Philippe

"What is it?" asked Skimble in awe

"It is called the La Tour Eiffel"

Skimble remained staring at the brightly lit tower standing tall in the night air.

"Would you like to go up?" asked Philippe

"You can go up it?"

Philippe laughed and motioned for the ginger tabby to follow him. They ran across to the stairs and began to climb.

* * *

At the top of the tower, Jenny was still in shock at the suggestion that Skimble was somewhere in this concrete jungle

Misto looked at her and wondered what to do.

"Jenny?" he asked

She snapped out of her moment of silence and looked at him.

"It's big" she said

Misto nodded and tried to make plans with her although they didn't get very far.

* * *

"Everlasting!" Skimble groaned as he climbed, "You've done this before?"

"Ah, oui. Many times, come on! Faster!" replied Philippe seeming to go even more quickly

"How much farther?" asked and exasperated Skimble

"Nearly there"

The two kept bounding up the stairs towards the top of the tower. Skimble was in for a shock.

* * *

"We had best make our way down" said Misto

"Yes, you're right" said Jenny beginning to head towards the stairway that lead to the ground

She was stopped from stepping down by a tom coming the other way.

"Pardon, Madame" the tom said politely before running past her, he called back "Monsieur Skimbleshanks, come on, we are here!"

'_Monsieur Skimbleshanks?'_ thought Jenny wondering if she'd heard the cat correctly. She turned to look down the stairs and saw a ginger tabby stop as he saw her. The two just stared at each other wondering if perhaps they'd each gone crazy. Mistoffelees saw Jenny's expression and went over to see what had gotten her so confused. The same feeling filled him as he saw what she was looking at.

Skimble stared up at the tabby queen. Was it really his mate? Surely not, yet he decided to ask,

"Jenny?" he enquired

"Skimble?" she asked back

They flew forward into each other's arms and simply held each other delighted that they were together again. Skimble was unbelievably confused and was sure he must have still been lying on the street back near King's Cross still in a daze. He was jolted out of the thought when Jenny pushed him back,

"What on earth are you doing in Paris?" she shouted

"I wish I could tell you, love" he replied

"You do know the train you were meant to be on derailed earlier today, don't you?"

"The Flying Scotsman derailed?" asked Skimble with concern

"Is that really important at the moment?" she fumed

"Darling, what are you doing here?"

"The psychics told me you were here so I had Mistoffelees bring me to find you"

"Did you?" asked Skimble smiling.

"Of course I did, why else would I be here?"

Skimble kissed his wife again and thanked her for her mission. "Shall we go home?" he asked her

"I was just about to suggest that" she replied, "Misto, would you mind"

The black and white tom rubbed his hands together and began to conjure

"Wait" said Skimble turning to the tom that had been so kind to him,

"Thank you, Philippe, for helping me"

Philippe just stared back with rapt confusion, "Do you no longer wish to go to the station?" he asked with a perplexed brow

"No, it's alright, I'm going with these two. Thank you so much again". Skimble bowed to the tom and received a shallower, baffled bow back.

"Alright, Misto, let her rip!" said Skimble to the smaller tom. With a thunderbolt, the three cats disappeared into thin air as Philippe stared on in astonishment.

'_Chat Éternelle! Jellicles!'_ he thought to himself as he looked across the city of lights.

**There you are then. Very short and a little rushed but it was just a little filler I wanted to do.**

**Thanks for reading, look our for my new stories!**


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